We were given an ARC copy of ‘Rite of Rejection’ by Sarah Negovetich, curtesy of the author, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book and we hope it does well!

Rite Of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Published by: Self Published
Pages: 320
Format: ebook
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

‘Rite of Rejection’ sounded to me like a mixture of ‘Matched’ by Ally Condie (and I’ve only read about 40 pages of that, so perhaps I’m not qualified to make that comparison) and ‘Branded’ by Abi Ketner and Missi Kalicicki. Nothing can describe it better than the blurb:

“Before you stands the future.”
Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can’t wait for her Acceptance. A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she’s shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.
A life behind barbed-wire fences with the world’s most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she’s almost certain she can learn to love.
But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence, Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

It’s safe to say that we both really enjoyed this book. As a reader, you were thrown straight into the world, and I really liked it that we were just submerged, without any convenient history lessons about the dystopian society. It meant that I could focus on the characters and their emotions, rather than trying to get the facts straight. This novel is very character driven – Rebecca is strong as protagonists go with a good moral code and a persistent dedication to her friends. Unfortunately, she’s also a hazard to society.

She is thrown in the PIT by the evil overlord of the realm, the Cardinal (which was a surprisingly religious title, but I guess that ‘Governor’, ‘President’ and ‘General’ have been done a thousand times before.) However, Rebecca adjusts fairly quickly, finding friends and a home in a matter of days.

The one thing I noticed when reading this whole novel was how difficult it was to pinpoint how long it had been since the last action scene. Rebecca and co. seem to spend the majority of the first half of the book eating or walking around outside. The monotony of the scenes reflected the life of the PIT Rejects, but also disorientated me when they were trying to escape.

Everything happened so fast. There was so much going on. As soon as one master plan was ‘complete’, another was devised.

The relationship between the characters were interesting. There are a few plot twists relating to these characters, which we won’t spoil, but it really added depth to the novel. I didn’t quite understand where the love triangle came from, but it all became clear as the plot progressed.

The ending was abrupt. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and apparently, I won’t get to know. Perhaps there will be a sequel that explained what happened after ‘The End’, because I need to know!

Overall, I’d give this book around 3.5 stars. Because I got a little confused towards the end, I deducted a star, and the ending left me feeling unfulfilled. Where’s the closure? I repeat: I need it! However, this did not hinder my enjoyment of this novel. It was a brilliant debut, and I look forward to seeing what Sarah writes next!

Enter to Win! A #RiteOfRejection Giveaway!

Prize description:
Chapter 17 tissues (because that’s when you’ll need them), a jumbo sized chocolate bar (a hot commodity inside the PIT), an orange scented candle (courtesy of Rebecca’s fondest memory from home, a dandelion pen (as featured on the cover), handcrafted Molly bag (named after the character responsible for sewing them in the book, these are the bags used extensively by the main characters), and a $10 Amazon gift card

Link to Giveaway, hosted on Rafflecopter: 
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NDJiNzM3Y2E1YzRlMDgzY2E2ZDg0Y2E3YWFjOTM4OjI=/

Author Information:

Sarah Negovetich knows you don’t know how to pronounce her name and she’s okay with that.
Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.
Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.
You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com.